It has to be one of the most perceptive, least tearjerking depictions of grief ever in an American film. But “Rabbit Hole” still begs the question: Why did Lionsgate Films decide to release on Christmas Day a film about parents recovering from the death of their 4-year-old son? Such a downbeat subject hardly seems like appropriate fodder to accompany eggnog. The short answer is that the studio is pushing its star Nicole Kidman for an Academy Award nomination. Opening a movie at year’s end meets qualifying deadlines while keeping the performance fresh in Oscar voters’ minds before nominations are decided in January.
Kidman’s work here is gently moving as mother Becca, whose child died suddenly in a car accident about eight months before the film’s action begins. And though he isn’t being touted like Kidman, probably because of the more crowded field of potential male nominees, Aaron Eckhart delivers an equally potent rendering of the bereft father Howie.
Directed by John Cameron Mitchell (“Short Bus”), in a low-key departure for the in-your-face artist, “Rabbit Hole” was adapted for the screen by the writer of 2006’s eponymous Pulitzer Prize winning play. As much as the actors, David Lindsay-Abaire’s words are the stars of this textured personal drama.
| IF YOU GO |
| ‘Rabbit Hole’ |
| » Rating: 4 out of 5 stars |
| » Stars: Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest |
| » Director: John Cameron Mitchell |
| » Rated PG-13: for mature thematic material, some drug use and language. |
| » Running time: 91 minutes |
If there is anything like a plot to the character piece, it has to do with the burning question: Will this marriage survive?
The suspense comes in two parts: With his wife in shock and distant, will Howie find comfort with another woman (“Gray’s Anatomy”‘s Sandra Oh)? And will healing or further hurt result from the unexpectedly empathetic relationship Becca develops with the young man (Miles Teller) behind the fatal accident?
Without emotional manipulation, the screenplay explores how two people can mourn differently, both in legitimate ways. Becca prefers to keep busy (baking pies, gardening) and purging external reminders of her son (clothing, refrigerator drawings) so that she can get on with the business of living. Husband Howie prefers the more direct approach to processing his feelings (repeatedly rewatching an old video, participating in a grieving parents’ support group).
One scene is especially eloquent, when Becca’s mother — played with fragile grace by Dianne Wiest — talks about how grief changes over time.
Ironically, the people most likely to connect with “Rabbit Hole,” those who have experienced great loss, may be the least likely to want to go “there” again. But they should.
